Planning a new trip for 5/23-5/31 next year with my husband and two teenagers (19 & 16). At their ages I would really like three sleeping surfaces and two bathrooms but can’t afford crazy prices. I’ve never rented DVC points before but found a perfect solution with a Poly studio for a great price. However the cancellation policy concerns me. Does buying trip insurance cover the cost of the DVC rental if something should happen and we’d have to cancel or reschedule? Googling has given me vague answers so I came to the experts! Another option is doing two connecting value rooms through Disney, but it would cost about the same as the Poly studio.
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We did this in August 2020…stayed at Pop, connecting rooms. We had a room with a King bed, and the connecting room had the two queens (one of which was a pull-down). It definitely was nice to have the room doing it this way since we were staying on property. (Usually we would rent a house instead.)
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This is what we did when we rented Poly points for our first trip in 2017.
Yes, travel insurance should cover it, but obviously all policies are different. But a non refundable pre-paid vacation cost is basically what travel insurance is for!
If you rent points through a broker (David’s), their non refundable policies and receipts make for an easy claim. Harder if you went directly through an individual to get reimbursed if you did have to make a claim.
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I’ve never gotten travel insurance before - is there a certain agency or policy that is recommended for DVC rental?
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What about a family suite at ASMu? They have 3 beds and 2 bathrooms. I have one rented next month for just under $300/night.
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I looked into that too, and it’s a little more than the Poly studio DVC rental - but of course Disney discounts haven’t come out yet. I think my first choice would be renting the DVC points if there was a way I wouldn’t have anxiety about it 
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I have rented DVC points a few times now. I love being able to stay at a deluxe resort for a discounted rate, but yeah, there is an element of uncertainty when you can’t cancel. I never worried about it before COVID, but now I get trip insurance. You just have to read carefully to make sure you understand what is covered. I have a September trip booked at the Poly with trip insurance that includes “cancel for any reason”…because hurricanes. Insurance was really inexpensive…something like $200 for a family of 4, which still saved us a ton of money over booking direct. DVC Rental Store has a more flexible cancellation policy (they give you a % credit within certain timeframes), so you might want to look into that option as well.
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I have rented DVC points multiple times and David’s has always been very reasonable and I’ve enjoyed the experience renting from them. I use SquareMouth to get a quote on insurance – make sure to only get coverage for costs that would not be refundable (i.e., the price of the DVC rental, maybe airfare?).
If you rent from other providers, they sometimes are refundable, but they charge you for it (in the form of extra $ per point vs. David’s). Price out everything and see what makes the most sense for you.
It’s also worth noting that when the pandemic first hit, David’s allowed me to get a credit for my DVC rental that was cancelled due to Covid. So if there is another world-shattering event like that, there is precedent for them to bend their “no cancellations” rule.
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Thanks for your advice! Talked to my husband more about it and he made a good point - there’s a small chance my son would get a co-op job next summer but might not know until closer to May - and if we had to reschedule for that reason it would not be something covered by insurance. Is that correct?
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Most likely not – I would check with insurance providers prior to signing anything.
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The current “cancel for any reason” plan I have would cover that, I think up to 2 days prior to departure.
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Oh good! Is there a travel insurance place you recommend? Thanks!!
I recommend starting here: https://www.squaremouth.com/ They give you a bunch of plans to compare. Looking again, the “cancel for any reason” option I have only covers 75%. However, many plans also offer a “cancel for business reasons” that covers 100% for the person who has to work (with a notarized memo from the place of employment.)
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Some travel policies cover job changes. You have to read the policies and they are usually multiple pages. But its worth the time to know what is covered and what is not.
I am curious, is there any benefit to booking the points this early vs. waiting until a couple of months before? I am seeing on other threads that there is quite a few DVC rentals available these days.
You should ask the Touring Plans folks. They probably resell policies and it shouldn’t cost more than doing it direct.
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It often depends on where and when you want to go as well as room type. DVC owners get to book up to 11 months out at their home resort, and when the 7 month mark hits, they can book at any resort. Many popular places (the Poly, for example) book up before or directly at the 7 month mark. There is currently very limited inventory for any of the DVC studios in February, which is now 7 months out.
If you can be flexible with location and dates, you can usually find something a couple months in advance. Old Key West, for example, often has availability within a couple of months. And you can always look through dedicated reservations and sometimes find great deals on short notice, but you are locked into those pre-determined dates.
However, if you have your heart set on a particular date and location, you have a better chance of getting what you want at the 11 month mark.
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